Barnsley’s Library @ the Lightbox Wins Its Tenth Award
Date
September 30, 2020
MANCHESTER, UK (September 30, 2020) – IBI Group is delighted to announce that Barnsley Council’s flagship new library and community space, Library @ the Lightbox, has won the 2020 South Yorkshire and Humberside Local Authority Building Control (LABC) Building Excellence award for ‘Best Public Service Building’. Part of Barnsley Council’s multi-award winning regeneration scheme, The Glass Works, the Lightbox win is the latest in a series of more than ten previous awards received for the project, including a Public-Private Collaboration of the Year award at the Insider Property Awards, and the Game Changer Award at the Variety Yorkshire Property Awards 2019.
At 3102m² over four storeys, the Library @ the Lightbox offers much more than traditional library services. IBI Group’s concept design, set within a broader master plan and placemaking strategy, has created an open, accessible and inclusive building, providing vibrant and inspirational spaces for the people of Barnsley. As a result, Library @ the Lightbox is a community-focused space offering traditional library lending services alongside community-based health, wellbeing and support services, areas for community-led initiatives, and events space centred around an external roof terrace.
Mike Richardson, IBI Group’s Project Director, remarked, “We are thrilled that our building concept has been so imaginatively interpreted and that its benefits were delivered so positively by a highly committed Council working in tandem with the community. Excellent planning, design and construction places a huge responsibility upon all involved but the result for Barnsley Council and its communities is well-deserved.”
The award is further recognition of what a highly effective development partnership can deliver with local authority planning and regeneration professionals working closely with a design and construction team led by Henry Boot Construction.
Ryan O’Loughlin, Director at Henry Boot Construction, commented that, “We are very pleased that the Library @ the Lightbox has won this latest award. The exceptional and collaborative working approach by all teams involved during The Glass Works project has transformed the town centre, creating a vibrant hub for current and future generations to enjoy. Throughout the project, we have been committed to delivering a lasting legacy for the people of Barnsley through a wide range of community involvement, including investing over £400,000 to local charities and good causes.”
Councillor Tim Cheetham, Cabinet Spokesperson for Place, said, “We’re delighted that Library @ the Lightbox has won this prestigious award. The Lightbox is an integral part of our town centre redevelopment, The Glass Works, and has become a real community hub since opening in summer 2019. That the building has been recognised with so many awards is testament to the fantastic partnership working between Barnsley Council, Henry Boot, IBI Group and our partners.”
For more information or to speak with an IBI Group professional, please contact Fiona Barker at fiona.barker@ibigroup.com or +44 7483 083858.
